Cherry led me through the academy's grand halls, her expression bright with pride at my official enrollment. As we walked, I noticed students clustered in small groups. Their eyes tracked our progress, their conversations dying down as we passed.
Their expressions were a mixed bag. Some looked deeply serious, even concerned. Others, sitting alone on benches, offered small, genuine smiles. From the distant evaluation area, I could still faintly hear the machine's monotonous chant: "Insufficient data. Insufficient data."
She brought me to our classroom. It was a hive of activity, students forming chattering circles that fell silent the moment I entered. Shocked faces stared before they quickly returned to hushed, urgent discussions.
They're definitely talking about me, I thought. Was my test result that anomalous? Had I inadvertently stepped into trouble?
Cherry guided me to my seat, right next to hers by the window. She settled in comfortably, and I followed suit.
"So, are you feeling like a VIP?" she asked with a playful smile, clearly teasing me.
"Well, I'm more nervous about what happens next," I admitted. "Was that test result good or bad?" I decided to be direct.
"It's... something we've never seen before," she said, scratching her head in thought. "The number zero only appears if someone has absolutely no mana, and the crystal immediately turns red for rejection. But in your case, it turned green for acceptance." She fixed me with a serious look. If Cherry considered it a big deal, it truly was.
"Maybe the machine was broken?" I suggested. All machines fail eventually. Perhaps it was faulty and couldn't register my mana correctly. I knew I had some capacity—I'd used simple magic, after all.
She shook her head firmly. "No, the machine can't be wrong. It has a life expectancy of about five more years, and our calculations are never off." She seemed lost in thought, but our conversation was cut short as someone entered the classroom.
It was an adult woman in a professor's coat with long, flowing red hair. Her gaze swept the room before landing squarely on me. She gestured for me to follow. I looked at Cherry, and she gave a wary nod.
I stood and followed the professor into the hallway. She walked ahead, and I couldn't help but notice her attractive figure. She stopped abruptly and turned, and I panicked, thinking she'd caught me looking. But that wasn't it.
"The higher-ups have invited you to discuss something," she said.
It was the last thing I wanted to hear. I knew my test had caused a stir, but to meet the academy leadership on my very first day? I simply nodded. She offered a reassuring smile and continued, her hips swaying with a confident rhythm. I realized I didn't even know her name.
"Excuse me," I said politely. "I'm still new to the academy. May I ask your name?"
She paused and glanced back with a warm smile. "You can call me Suzie. I am your homeroom teacher from now on, I suppose. Don't worry about introducing yourself; I've read the papers you filled out during registration."
So, she was my teacher. She was beautiful, and I hoped her teaching was just as impressive.
We walked until we reached an elevator. She pressed a button for a high floor, and we began our ascent. Taking a closer look, she was truly stunning. The building was so vast I knew the ride would take a while.
The silence stretched, so I decided to break it. "Is this about my mana test?" It was the obvious question.
She looked at me, her smile softening. "It might seem overwhelming, but don't worry, it's not that serious. The higher-ups just want to see if there's anything unusual about you. Think of it as a routine check-up."
If that was all, then perhaps I could relax.
Ting! The elevator chimed, and the doors slid open to reveal a large, opulent office. The walls were adorned with certificates and framed awards, and shelves displayed gleaming trophies.
In the center of the room stood a massive desk piled high with papers. Behind it sat a woman with sharp, silver hair, dressed in a formal suit. She stared at us with narrowed, calculating eyes, her entire demeanor radiating strict authority.
"So, you're that boy, huh?" she said, her tone serious and imposing. "You look quite young to have caused such a stir." She gestured to two chairs facing her desk. "Come, sit."
Suzie nodded and sat. I followed, the tense atmosphere stifling. For a moment, no one spoke.
"Why was I invited here?" I finally asked, my voice slightly unsteady.
She leaned forward, her gaze intensifying. "You're new to the magic world, so your ignorance is understandable. The mana crystal never lies. Even though you 'failed' the mana test, it still deemed you worthy of this prestigious academy. That is... highly unusual."
My nervousness spiked. I had to say something, or they might expel me!
"I'll give my absolute best to this academy! Please, trust me!" I pleaded, clasping my hands together. To my astonishment, she burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! You hear that, Suzie?" Both women laughed as if they were watching a comedy show.
"Oh, come now! We aren't going to do anything drastic," the silver-haired woman said, her laughter subsiding. "We simply wanted to assure you that you don't need to feel isolated because of your test results. Just focus on enjoying your time at the academy, understood?"
It wasn't a big deal after all! I had been envisioning all sorts of dire consequences.
"Th-thank you!" I said, overwhelmed with relief. We discussed my class schedule briefly, and then I was dismissed.
By the time I returned to the classroom, the day was nearly over, and students were streaming out towards the exits. On my way out, I spotted Cherry walking alone, her expression distant, as if in a trance.
"Hey, Cherry! Where are you going?" I called out.
She didn't acknowledge me and turned into a dim, secluded tunnel. Where is she going? A knot of worry tightened in my stomach. I decided to follow. I fell into step beside her, but she showed no sign of noticing my presence, which only confirmed my fears.
She walked to the tunnel's end, which opened into a cavernous, dark room illuminated by a single, dusty chandelier. In the center, a man sat perched on a large stone slab. His eyes locked onto me immediately.
"Huh? What is a random student doing here?" With a flick of his wrist, he cast a spell. Acting purely on instinct, I leaped in front of Cherry and grabbed her arm.
The moment our skin touched, Cherry jolted as if waking from a deep sleep. She blinked, looking around in confusion. When I turned back to confront the man, he had vanished.
Cherry, now fully aware, suddenly threw her arms around me in a tight embrace.
"Wh-what happened? Why are you hugging me!?" I asked, startled by the sudden contact.
She held on for a moment longer before releasing me. "I'll explain everything. Come on." She took my hand firmly and led me out of the now-silent academy.
---
[Background]
On the roof of one of the Magica Academy's tallest towers, a man in a dark cloak stood silhouetted against the dying light. His face was contorted in fury, his teeth grinding audibly.
"How did my magic not work on that rookie?!" he snarled, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. He had lost his prey just as she was within his grasp. "I just needed one night to claim her for myself and all the potent mana she stores inside those absurd breasts! Tch!"
He glared out at the horizon, where the sky was bleeding from red to deepest black. His sharp eyes easily picked out two figures on the ground far below—a boy and a girl walking home together.
He leaned over the edge, his voice a venomous whisper carried away by the wind. "You won't be so lucky next time." Then, in a swirl of black smoke, he was gone.